Blossom Beautifully, Misaki!
by TheSeriousBard
Summary: What if Yata Misaki were a girl? How would K Project events unfold differently? This will be a collection of short stories depicting events between the ever-popular duo in a different light. Primarily Fushimi Saruhiko x Fem-Yata Misaki; AU; Rating: T for suggestive themes, language, violence
1. Hot Springs

**General Overview: **Each short story will loosely depict scenes from Project K episodes, dramas, manga, novels, pictures, etc. However, instead I'll be putting Fem-Misaki in these situations and how I imagined it could play out.

Focused primarily on humor and romance, ratings for each story could be different. Primarily SaruMi.

**Notes:** I don't own K Project or the characters. All hail our mighty GoHands/GoRa overlords.

* * *

**Hot Springs**

In attempt to create closer ties to his fellow members of Scepter 4, Captain Munakata Reisi had suddenly announced a trip to a hot springs resort right outside of Shizume City. Absolutely loathing the idea, the young third-in-command adamantly refused to be dragged along to such a worthless event. The very thought of eating, bathing, and sleeping beside his fellow co-workers made him sick to his stomach.

Even worse, Fushimi Saruhiko knew that his captain was the king of making people feel uncomfortably awkward. Remembering the discussion he had at the Year-End party, the blue-eyed man recalled his superior's detestable hobbies of staring intensely at his men—never laughing or speaking, but just plainly observing their actions. From there, Munakata felt satisfaction within his heart when his subordinates would get nervous and make a mistake because of him.

Having devised at least ten strategies to avoid participating in this upcoming event, Fushimi was fully prepared with a long list of potential excuses.

Before the Blue left for Scepter 4's main office, he wandered down the street to do his early morning stalking of a certain vanguard of HOMRA. With chestnut-colored hair that was as wild and messy as ever, Yata Misaki walked beside her childhood acquaintance Kanamoto Rikio.

Even seeing Misaki with another man annoyed the Blue clansman to death. It should be him always accompanying Yata, not some weak, fat pig of a man. Feeling his heated anger pulsing through his body, Saruhiko was ready to jump out and surprise the two, egging on Misaki to leave the pig's side and chase after him.

Much to the blue-eyed man's surprise, he suddenly heard his beloved shout out, "I can't wait until we go to the hot spring this weekend! Mikoto-san is so amazing, allowing all of us to come along with him! As expected from our king!"

"Misaki is going to the hot springs this weekend?" Fushimi thought to himself with glee.

"It will be nice to go relax and eat good food, and most importantly spend time with Mikoto-san!" The little crow's eyes glimmered in anticipation. "I wonder if I can be by his side and pour his beer for him."

"Mmmm…all I want is to go eat meat" Kanamoto said dreamily, as his stomach growled.

"All you ever want to do is eat. No wonder you just keep getting bigger and bulkier."

"It's just that you don't eat enough, Yata-san!" Then Kanamoto muttered under his breath, "this is why you'll always be a twig without any defining womanly body characteristics…"

"WHAT DID YOU SAY YOU BASTARD!?" Misaki turned a bright red shade as she put the portly man beside her in a headlock and threw him into a wall.

"Oww! Sorry Yata-san! Ow, stop I apologize! I'm sorry! Ahhhh!" Kanamoto shouted, trying to block the crow's swift punches and kicks.

"OI FATTY, STOP RUNNING AWAY AND GET BACK HERE!"

The conversation between the two became softer until they both disappeared from the Blue's vision.

Fushimi walked back to Scepter 4's headquarters in silence. Once he got to the main office, the young officer slammed open the doors and marched straight to Munakata's desk.

The captain of Scepter 4 looked up in surprise. "What is it, Fushimi-kun? Can I help you with something?"

With a dead-serious expression on his face, Saruhiko pushed up his glasses and simply stated, "I would be delighted to attend the Scepter 4 hot springs trip this weekend."

* * *

With his usual bored expression, Saruhiko scanned the perimeter of the hot spring. He saw his captain, along with Suoh Mikoto—the evil man who stole the heart of his Misaki, and Kusanagi Izumo drinking sake while soaking in the water.

For some reason, the Silver King Isana Yashiro, the Black Dog Yatogami Kuroh, and the Neko girl also came to the hot spring that weekend. They had brought a few of their friends from Ashinaka Gakuen as well, including the vivacious brunette Yukizome Kukuri.

The Silver King had ties with the Gold King, Kokuji Daikoku, and they both were celebrating their reunion after many years of separation. Beside the water's edge, the Black Dog was scrubbing and washing the Silver King's back, looking lovey-dovey as ever.

Fushimi sighed deeply. In all his excitement, he completely forgot that his Misaki wouldn't be sharing the same hot spring together, as the two genders were completely separate from each other by a large bamboo fence. He wouldn't be able to "accidentally" bump into the amber-eyed girl, having her turn a deep pink as she stood naked in front of him.

Saruhiko clicked his tongue in annoyance. _What a waste of time._

Suddenly, a door swung open on the other side of the bamboo fence, and he could hear several women chit-chatting. The first voice that the blue-eyed man could pick out was none other than his lieutenant, who was apparently drunk. "Hurry up girls! The water feels nice!" Awashima's words slurred a bit.

"Ahhh! It really is!" Kukuri said happily as she began to swim around in the water.

Then, Fushimi heard a loud splash. "Heyyy Neko! This isn't a pool! You're not supposed to cannonball jump into the water!" the blonde Scepter 4 member scolded.

"I do what I want, _nya_! I came here to have fun, _nya_!"

Loud._ Loud and annoying._ "Why do women get on my nerves so easily," Saruhiko thought to himself. "They are selfish, unlikeable beings who nag too much and—"

The Blue's thoughts were cut off after he heard a certain someone's name being called.

"What are you doing Yatagarasu? Hurry up and come join us!" Awashima called to the timid girl who still had a towel wrapped tightly around her body.

Even though Misaki is female herself, due to her violent nature and short temper, she never had any girl friends. Therefore, her ability to communicate with women was defunct, often times leading to her stuttering in embarrassment. "Umm…I don't k-k-now…I might just stay out here for a bit instead…"

"Come join us, _nya_!" Neko jumped out of the water and grabbed the towel away from the little crow.

"_Kyaa_! W-w-what are you doing!?" Misaki's body was blushing from head to toe.

Kukuri assisted Neko in pulling Yata into the water. After a bit of struggling, the Red clansman finally began to relax, though she submerged all but her head and neck under the water.

The men on the other side of the bamboo fence were listening quietly. It was apparent that none of the women were aware that they could hear their conversations.

Kukuri's eyes began to sparkle as she suddenly had a thought pop up into her mind. "Hey! So we're here on this fabulous hot springs vacation with all these wonderful and attractive men! Do any of you girls have a crush on anyone?"

The mens' ears instantly perked up to this conversation. It had to do with them obviously, and they were curious as to how each of them would respond. Saruhiko tried to remain cool, making a face showing that he wasn't interested; but in fact, he was anxiously waiting for Misaki's response. "Even though it's probably Suoh Mikoto anyway…" he muttered to himself.

"I will always love Shiro, _nya_! Shiro is Neko's, and Neko will always belong to Shiro!" Neko meowed with a big smile.

"Well, I'm pretty sure that is obvious to everyone," Kukuri giggled. "How about you Awashima-san. You are surrounded by a bunch of men at your workplace aren't you? Are you currently dating anyone?"

The Blue second-in-command downed another cup full of sake. "No way. It would be unprofessional to have any sort of romantic relationships with any of my fellow co-workers."

"How about outside of Scepter 4 then? Do you ever go out to meet with people?"

"Well…I wouldn't say it really amounts to much, but I do frequent a bar once in a while to get my favorite drink…that's about it."

Izumo's eyes widened as he heard Seri-chan mention his bar in the conversation. She wouldn't openly admit her affection for the man, but Izumo at least knew he was important to her.

Wanting to avoid discussing her love life any further, the Blue lieutenant turned to the HOMRA's vanguard and said, "What about you Misaki-chan? Do you have anyone that you like?"

Saruhiko felt a lump caught in his throat.

The crow began to blush furiously and said quietly, "…Well…I do admire Mikoto-san…"

Fushimi clenched his fist. Of course it was her precious Mikoto-san. Saruhiko shot a glare that was sharper than his throwing knives at the Red King sitting in the water. Suoh continued to remain emotionless, despite his name appearing in the conversation.

"No Misaki! Awashima-san didn't say 'admire'! She said 'like'!" Kukuri said with a smile.

"Ohhh…ummm…I…don't have anyone like that…" Misaki sunk further into the water.

"What about Fushimi? I always thought you guys were dating." Awashima's face was red and swollen from the alcohol.

"What? Saru? No, no! It's nothing like that!"

"I heard from Izumo that you two were close since middle school." Awashima took another sip of her sake. "…Have you two had sex yet?"

Yata jumped up from the water in surprise. "Wha-wha-WHAT!? NO! NO WAY, IT'S NOT LIKE THAT!"

"She's in denial, _nya_! I bet you and the Mean Glasses kiss all the time, _nya_!"

"Sh-sh-shut up! No we don't! BESIDES, there's no way he'd be interested in me." Misaki, still flushed from the conversation, slowly lowered herself back into the water and mumbled, "I'm violent, and not attractive like you girls are…and I don't have big b-b-b-breasts like you Awashima."

The Heartless Woman grinned and suddenly leaned forward. She was so close to Yata that the little crow could smell her alcohol-laden breath. "Hmmmm, they might not be as big as mine, but I think your breasts are very cute, Misaki-chan."

"…W-w-what? Hnn! Where do you think you are touching! _Kyaaa_!"

"You know Misaki-chan, your skin is very soft and smooth," the Blue Lieutenant continued.

"I want to touch too, _nya_!"

"WAHH! WAHHH, no!" Misaki cried out.

"Haha! This is fun! I'll hold onto her arms!" Kukuri said with glee.

The feeling of foreign hands touching against her skin gave a strange sensation throughout her body. Misaki gave off a soft moan in surprise.

"Heh, seems like you're really sensitive too, Misaki-chan. Let big sis play around for a bit, okay~?" Awashima was beyond intoxicated by this point.

"Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait! D-d-d-on't touch there…ahhh!" Misaki said in panic.

Saruhiko's anger could no longer be subsided. He was about ready to burn down the bamboo fence and yank his beloved out of the annoying womens' grasps and carry her away. No person-whether male or female, was allowed to touch his Misaki in that manner. The mixing of the heat pulsing through his body and the hot steam coming from the water danced around Fushimi's head. The blue-eyed man shot up out of the water and marched towards the dressing area.

Someone was going to pay for this later.

* * *

After the girls were finally done with their teasing of the little crow, they began to dry off and put on their yukatas.

"I-I-I'm going to be heading out first" Misaki stuttered, quickly ducking out of the dressing room.

As Yata walked out the door into the hallway, the first thing she saw was Saruhiko, flushed with a furious expression on his face. She also noticed Kanamoto standing off to the side—bright red and embarrassed. Both the Silver King and the Black Dog looked at the Red clansman with eyes of pity.

Without uttering a single word, Fushimi grabbed Misaki's wrist tightly and began pulling her behind him.

"Huh? Saru? What's wrong? Your face doesn't look too well."

The same word ran laps around the Blue's mind. _Annoying. Annoying. Annoying. Annoying. Annoying. Annoying. Annoying. Annoying. Annoying. ANNOYING._ Not only did she let other people besides him touch her, she even made a cute moan that everyone could hear. Those sounds should only be made for his ears to hear. It's _HIS_ Misaki after all.

Remembering this made Saruhiko even angrier. He grasped onto Misaki tighter and charged down the hallway. The amber-eyed girl could only shout words of confusion as she tried to keep up with the damned monkey's pace. "Hey Saru! What are you doing? Where are you taking me?"

The Heartless Woman smiled as she watched the two disappear down the hall together.

"You know Seri-chan, Saru is probably going to explode from anger at you later" Izumo said while shaking his head.

"Why is that? Because all you guys were listening in on our conversation?" Awashima said coyly.

"_Geh_, you knew we were listening?"

"Of course I knew. And Fushimi getting angry? That was the point. If we continued to let him go at his own pace, he'd never end up confessing his feelings to Misaki. Us girls were just here to help with the progression of their relationship."

"Yes! You can call us Shizume City's Love Cupids!" Kukuri spun around in circles, finishing off by wrapping her arms around Neko.

Izumo let out a loud sigh. "Well, I just hope that it doesn't further complicate matters. Both of them are complete idiots, you know."


	2. Middle School Love Confession

**Middle School Love Confession**

"Saru…what should I do?"

Misaki plopped down beside her best friend, who was eating his lunch quietly on the roof top.

"About what Misaki?" Fushimi replied with his usual bored tone.

"T-t-t-today, I was told by the captain of the baseball team that he likes me and wants to go out!" Misaki said with her face flushed with a rosy pink color.

A frown immediately spread across the blue-eyed boy's face. He had spent his entire middle-school life trying to thwart any interest in his beloved. Sending menacing glares or threatening all those who even came close to the amber-eyed girl, Saruhiko had managed to keep Misaki all to himself.

"Huh? Are you sure he isn't just pulling a prank on you? You know you'll never become popular with the guys."

"Shut up! You don't think I know that I'm unpopular?" the chestnut-haired girl snapped. She then became quiet and starred at the ground. "…He seemed really genuine though…"

Saruhiko suddenly recalled with disgust the unfortunate event that had taken place a few hours ago.

* * *

_Fushimi was walking toward Misaki's classroom. As he began to slide the door opened, he caught a conversation around the little crow. _

"_Hey Yata-chan, are you and Fushimi-kun dating?" a girl with pigtails asked her with a giggle._

"…_No! No it's nothing like that! We're just friends…" Misaki could feel the perspiration forming throughout her body. She never had any girl friends, so talking to women made her feel incredibly awkward. _

"_Heh, well there isn't a single person in the world who would want to date such a violent woman. I guess she can't even get the weird guys to see her as a girl," teased one of her male classmates. _

"_Oi, Honda! Do you want to fight 'cause I'm ready to smash your face in!" Misaki pushed up her sleeves, ready to tackle the male student beside her._

"_Kyaaa! Yata-chan is about to go on a rampage again! Someone go get the teacher!"_

_Before Misaki was able to throw her first punch, a hand landed on her shoulder. Misaki peered over to the side and saw Yamamoto standing beside her._

"_Come on guys, stop being mean. Yata isn't a violent woman. I know she has a cute, gentle side as well" he said with a smile. "Apologize to her now."_

"_Oh, Yamamoto…well if you say so. Yata, I'm sorry," Honda replied sheepishly._

_Misaki began to blush furiously, a deep red spreading beyond her cheeks down past her neck and ears._

"_Hey Yamamoto-kun, do you like Yata-chan or something?" one of female classmates teased._

"_In fact, I do. I wouldn't mind going out with her" the captain of the baseball team said confidently._

_A chorus of screams echoed through the classroom in shock and delight. Fushimi could only stand by the door, clenching his fists tightly as felt nothing but burning hatred pulsing through his body._

* * *

"So, what do you think I should do? I never was confessed to before, so I don't want to look dumb or weird." Yata's words interrupted Saruhiko's trip down memory lane.

"Well, let me go see if he is even serious or not. I don't want you to get all worked up if he's just doing this to get a laugh out of you." The blue-eyed man stood and walked quickly to the door inside. He would never allow another man to make Misaki blush that way or make her heart flutter.

* * *

"Hmmm? Oh you're Fushimi Saruhiko-kun from the class next door right? I heard you were Yata's best friend. Can I help you with something?" Yamamoto gave a gentle smile.

_Annoying_. There was nothing in Fushimi's eyes but anger and loathing for the man in front of him. Without a word, the blue-eyed man grabbed onto Yamamoto's shirt and slammed him against the wall.

"Hey! What are you—"

"Shut up! Listen scum, what do you want with Misaki?" Saruhiko growled.

"Huh? I told her that I'm interesting in dating her. So what? It's not like you two are dating or anything."

The blue-haired boy clenched Yamamoto's collar tighter. "What is it you even like about her?"

"Well, I think she's pretty cute. Personality-wise, she isn't like all the other girls in this school. Something nice for a change!"

That was it. To Yamamoto, Misaki was nothing but a rare animal of some sort. He likes her because she is "pretty cute"? Unacceptable. This bastard knows nothing of Misaki's real beauty. "Listen you fucktard, don't go near her with those half-hearted feelings. I will kill you if you talk to her again."

"What kind of threat is that?" Yamamoto continued to grin as he stared at the blue-haired man before him.

Suddenly, Yamamoto's eyes began to widen as he saw a small blade held in front of his face. Saruhiko had pulled one of his small knives hidden up his sleeve and aimed the tip right at the bridge of Yamamoto's nose. There was no hint of jest in his eyes—only a serious, murderous intent.

Yatamoto let out a long sigh. "Alright, alright dude. Calm down. I'll give up on her. I only said I was interested in her because I thought you two weren't dating."

"Whatever she and I do is none of your concern. Now get out of here and don't bother us two again."

Yamamoto sighed again and began to walk towards the school's gate. Before he went further, he spun around and opened his mouth. "Hey Fushimi! You know you can't just expect Yata to stay by your side forever. If you think you can just scare away your competition in order to hold onto her, she'll end up leaving you eventually. One day, someone stronger and better than you will come into her life, and unless you are honest with her, she'll move on!"

At that point in time, Saruhiko did not know that those words would hold so much truth in the near future. The blue-haired man clicked his tongue and began to head back to his beloved.

* * *

Sitting on the street curb, Misaki continued to play on her handheld game console. Saruhiko sat beside her, drinking soda and lazily staring up at the sky. It was another typical, boring day for the two.

"Hey Saru, whatever happened between you and Yamamoto? When I tried to talk to him again, he didn't say another word and just walked away from me."

Saruhiko tried to hide a grin. "He said he was just fooling around, and he wasn't serious about what he said. Looks like your unpopular streak continues, Mi-sa-ki~"

"Shut up you stupid monkey!" Misaki barked.

Life had returned back to normal. Unchanging. The usual. As the "GAME OVER" message appeared across Yata's console screen, she cried out in frustration and swiped the cola bottle from Fushimi's grasp.

"Hey—"

"Ugh, this is so boring!" Yata yelled as she chucked the bottle in front of her.

To their surprise, a tall man with hair of crimson red stood before them with the bottle in hand. He had a serious expression across his face.

"Mikoto, don't scare these kids!" said the blond-haired man beside him.

"W-w-who's scared!?" Misaki retorted angrily.

The red-haired man took a long swig from the cola bottle and tossed it at to the ground in a fiery blaze. He turned around without saying a word and began to walk toward the crosswalk.

"Well, if you two are just going to sit and rot here, do you middle schoolers want to come and join us? You'll have somewhere to blow off that steam of yours" the man in purple glasses said with a smile.

Yata's eyes opened wide in excitement. She turned to Saruhiko and grabbed onto his wrist. "Saru! This looks like fun. Let's go!"

Without having a chance to protest, Saruhiko followed Misaki as she stood up and began to chase the group down the street.


	3. Summertime Fever

**Summertime Fever**

* * *

Fushimi Saruhiko began to toss and turn in his bed. Deep within the realm of dreams, the Blue clansman visualized a bright and fancy wedding ceremony, decorated with an array of blossoming flowers and white lace. As Saruhiko stepped into the church, he heard a voice calling out to him.

"_Excuse me sir, are you with the bride or the groom's family?"_

_Saruhiko turned, and to his surprise he saw one of the Red Clansmen, Bandou, ushering people to their seats. Confused, the Blue quickly replied, "Ummm, the bride's."_

"_Wonderful! Chitose! Please show this gentleman to his seat!"_

_The situation still perplexed Saruhiko, but he decided to continue on. As he sat down, he began hearing the orchestra play 'Canon in D'. The audience turned toward the entrance of the church. There stood an emotionless flower girl, dressed in white Lolita attire. "What!? Anna?"_

_The emotionless girl continued to walk down the aisle, dropping rose petals along the way without any effort. At the end, she simply turned, stiff as a robot, and she sat by the bride's mother, who suspiciously looked like the lieutenant of Scepter 4, Awashima Seri. _

_The trumpets began to play and the crowd stood up as the bride, completely covered by a white veil, walked gracefully down the aisle. The bride's father, who appeared to be none other than HOMRA's bar owner, Kusanagi Izumo, walked arm-to-arm with his daughter. _

_He could hear Seri burst out in tears, crying as she watched the bride pass by her. "Oh, my precious daughter! Growing up so fast!"_

_The unknown groom suddenly appeared standing by the altar. Fushimi's vision was blurry though, and he was unable to make out who the bride or groom was._

_The priest began to stare blankly at the couple, completely uninterested in the current festivities. He yawned and said, "Okay, let's get this over with."_

"_Huh? Suoh Mikoto? What the hell is going on here?" the Blue wondered as the ceremony continued on. He got up from his seat and walked closer to the altar._

_As the Red King began to read off the script—completely monotone and expressionless, he got irritated and stopped reading the dialogue. "I'm tired, and this is taking too long. I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride."_

_As the groom turned towards the bride, lifting her veil, Fushimi's eyes widened in horror. "MISAKI? WHO WOULD YOU CONSIDER MARRYING BESIDES ME?"_

_The groom turned to Saruhiko and made a wide grin. "What…Kanamoto?"_

_The last thing Saruhiko could see was the jolly plump man bending Yata over and planting a kiss right on her lips…_

* * *

"Nooooooooo!" the Blue shouted as he sprang up from his bed. Covered in sweat from head to toe, he gasped for air. After a minute, Fushimi calmed down and realized that he was in his dormitory room, and what he had just witnessed was all just a dream. No, a _nightmare_.

Saruhiko let out a sigh of relief as he thought to himself, "That would never happen. Misaki would never take that fat pig seriously as a man." Scepter 4's third-in-command began to chuckle as he put his head back down on his pillow and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Well, at least the Blue tried to sleep. His thoughts were filled with too many negative emotions after seeing such a horrific event. He begrudgingly threw himself out of his bed and put on his uniform. Saruhiko wanted to hurry up and finish his duties so he could make a surprise visit to the vanguard of HOMRA.

No matter how much he tried to forget the nightmare, the image of Kanamoto's porky lips trying to kiss his Misaki was engraved into his mind. By the end of the day, Saruhiko was completely worn out.

As he dragged himself towards HOMRA's headquarters, he had to remind himself that Misaki would never see someone that fat, lazy, and hideous as a potential suitor.

As he approached the Red clan's bar, he heard a chorus of girls screaming out in delight. "_Kyaaa_! Kanamoto-ku-un~! You are so cool!"

"Why the hell is it so noisy here? Since when did HOMRA's bar actually have any customers?" Fushimi wondered.

His ears perked up as he heard the familiar voice of his beloved crow. "Wh-wh-what's with this huge crowd of women here?" stuttered Misaki as she jumped off her skateboard.

"Ah! Yata-san, welcome back!" called a voice among the sea of women.

As the figure stepped away from the crowd, the Scepter 4 officer had a disturbing feeling creep up throughout his body. The man who was standing in front of his Misaki was not rotund and sloppy wearing sweat pants and a grease-covered sweatshirt, but a handsome, muscular man with shiny, flowing hair, and a pearly white smile.

"Kanamoto? There you go again bringing all these girls with you!" Misaki stood with hands on her hips in annoyance. "Anyway, are you ready to go?"

Rikio gave a soft, refreshing laugh as he brushed his tanned fingers through his hair. "Anytime you are, Yata-san!"

"Ready? Ready for what!? It couldn't be…are those two going on a DATE!?" the Blue thought. "Just because that stupid fatty lost a few pounds, how could you fall for someone like that, MISAKI!"

Fushimi clenched his fist and gritted his teeth. Before he lunged forward in a burning flame of fury to separate the two, he felt a tap on his shoulder.

"Saru-kun! What could possibly bring you here today?" the voice said happily.

Saruhiko glared at the man who was now standing beside him. "Totsuka-san, that is none of your business," he hissed.

"It couldn't be that you were worried that Yata would be falling in love for Kanamoto now that he had lost a weight for the summer, would it?"

"Damn this bastard. Why does he always know what I am thinking?" Fushimi thought with disgust.

Totsuka let out a little laugh with that trademark, carefree smile he always had on his face. "You know, he lost all that weight because he doesn't eat that much during the summer. If he were to start eating again, I'm sure he would gain all the weight back in no time. But that is just me talking to myself, you know."

Totsuka rested his hand on the Blue's shoulder, and gave a little wink. "Okay Saru-kun, it was nice to see you again! You should stop by more often!"

As Tatara disappeared into the bar, Fushimi stood there in silence. He could hear Totsuka's words echoing throughout his mind, "_If he were to start eating again, I'm sure he would gain all that weight back in no time."_

Fushimi clenched his fist again, but this time in determination. He will feed Kanamoto until he becomes fat again. The Blue was on a mission. There was no turning back.

* * *

"Wow Kanamoto! You got another package of sweets for you in the mail! I wonder who keeps sending all this food to you? There isn't a name ever on the packages right?" Shouhei asked with a smile. "We even get bags of groceries sent to us as well!"

Several of the HOMRA members, including Chitose and Bandou, were pleased with all the food presents Kanamoto was receiving. Both were annoyed by the fact that women were always fluttering about, focusing all their love and attention on him. They eagerly helped prepare the food.

Within a month's time, Rikio was no longer the muscular, handsome man, but back to being the portly, messy person that he used to be.

As Fushimi snuck outside of HOMRA's home base, he made a sigh of relief as he felt no longer threatened by the pig man inside.

"Isn't it good that everything is back to the way it was? Due to SOMEBODY'S help, Kanamoto went back to his original diet!" Totsuka said loudly, knowing that a certain Scepter 4 member was hiding outside the bar.

"That man frustrates me more than anyone else," Fushimi thought in annoyance.

"Though, I think as a girl, Yata would be disappointed now that Kanamoto has gained all his weight back!"

"Hmmmm? But isn't it alright this way? I like Kanamoto the best when he's all fat. There's less women buzz—" Misaki's words were cut off by an angry blaze of red and blue.

"MI-SA-KI! WHAT PART OF THAT PIG MAN DO YOU LIKE MORE THAN ME? HUH?"

"AHHH! SARU! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE, YOU SHITTY MONKEY!?"

Misaki began to glow a deep crimson red as she grabbed her skateboard and charged out the door.

As Fushimi began to dash away, he shouted, "This is how it should always be! Instead of chasing after worthless pigs you should be following me!"

"Get back here you bastard!" Misaki screamed as the two of them disappeared from sight.

"My, my. Summertime always seems to ignite the flames of love doesn't it?" Totsuka said with complete satisfaction.


	4. A Virgin Maiden's Heart

**A Virgin Maiden's Heart**

After the events that had occurred at the strain facility, the members of HOMRA were exhausted. They were all sitting at the front of the bar, tending to each other's wounds. Misaki and Saruhiko looked particularly worse off, as their clothes were covered with slashes and blood.

"Head upstairs and use the shower to wash off your cuts," Totsuka told the two teenagers standing in front of him.

Yata hesitated and looked at Fushimi, unsure of what to do. With that usual annoyed look on his face, the blue-haired boy clicked his tongue and motioned to the amber-eyed girl to go shower.

"You go first."

Misaki, who was now blushing a lovely hue of pink, glanced at Totsuka and Mikoto. "…But, but…upstairs is Mikoto-san's…"

Suoh sighed and replied, "Just go use it already."

The chestnut-haired girl quickly bowed her head and ran up the stairs. She suddenly heard the voice of HOMRA's bar owner, Kusanagi Izumo calling out to her, "Don't wake Anna-chan up! She's sleeping in the room next to the bathroom!"

As blond-haired bartender grabbed the first-aid kit, he signaled both Totsuka and Fushimi to come closer so he could dress their wounds.

It wasn't more than five minutes past when the men below could hear a loud, girly shriek coming from the second floor. "_Kyaaaaaaaaaaaa_!"

The Red clansmen all sat quietly, looking at each other—confused and curious.

"Uhh…what was that?"

Saruhiko-recognizing that scream instantly, got up first. Appearing to be extremely agitated, the boy clicked his tongue as he turned to walk up the stairs.

No one felt a particular urge to rush in, but they figured they shouldn't simply dismiss the cry. Kanamoto, Kusanagi, Totsuka, and finally Suoh followed behind Fushimi.

When they arrived up the stairs, all they could see amongst the thick wall of steam within the bathroom was a little girl staring blankly at the amber-eyed girl. Looking more like a puppy that had been caught in the rain, Yata's hair was matted down the sides of her face. Her body, no longer hidden by bulky clothing, appeared even skinnier and scrawnier than ever.

Misaki held an expression that appeared be like a deer caught in headlights. She gazed at Anna in utter shock. "Wha-what do you want?"

"I came here to wash my hands," the little girl said without a hint of emotion.

The four men behind Saruhiko groaned out, completely understanding the situation. What a stupid thing to have to be bothered with.

The petite, chestnut-haired girl waved her hands frantically in front of her, not even realizing that the heavy steam was dissipating around her, exposing her body further. It looked as if she were doing some sort of weird dance.

"…Stop making your girl-fearing personality so obvious," Saruhiko said flatly.

"Bu-but, the girl just suddenly came in without warning, and…"

"This is a little brat we're talking about."

"Bu-but, a proper lady shouldn't just go barging in on people like that!"

"And a proper lady shouldn't be exposing her flat, no-figure body to a group of men like that either."

The blue-eyed boy took a moment to scan the girl's body up and down, taking a mental note of her three sizes to add to his Misaki-stalking log later.

"Wh-whaaa!?" Yata finally looked down and realized that she was standing there, naked in front of all these people. Her face became instantly red hot—her body blushing from top to bottom.

"_Kyaaaaaaaaaaa_!" she screamed out again, dropping to the floor and covering up her body with her legs.

Saruhiko clicked his tongue. "Shut up already. It's not like any man could look at you seriously as a woman. You have zero defining features as a girl."

The words angered the chestnut-haired girl. "WHAT DID YOU SAY YOU BASTARD!?"

"This is why you're forever going to remain a virgin."

She immediately stood up again, forgetting about her nudity. And the two teenagers began to argue back and forth. One couldn't help but think there was hint of pure happiness in Saruhiko's eyes as he stared down at the naked girl in front of him. If he continued to rile her up, she would remain in her bare, exposed state in front of the blue-haired boy.

"…SHUT UP!" barked Yata.

"VIRGIN! VIRGIN! MISAKI IS A VIRGIN!"

"...Be quiet! You're a virgin too so shut your god damned mouth!"

"Make me, Mi-Sa-Ki~"

The bantering continued on without rest.

"Haaa…I figured this was going to be something worthless, but this really is more stupid than I could have ever imagined," Kusanagi said with a sigh.

Totsuka grabbed Anna by the hand and led her out of the room as Suoh and Kusanagi already began walking back down the stairs.

It was only Kanamoto who felt pity toward the little crow.

"Yata-san…" he said while throwing a towel at the girl in front of him.


	5. Year-End Party

**Year-End Party**

It was loud. People had filled every table within the business covered with frills, ribbon, and hearts. It was almost the New Year, and people were out celebrating. Without looking up at the people sitting in front of her, Misaki bowed and said, "Welcome to the Kitten-Maid Café! I will be your personal maid for this evening. Can I start you off with something to drink?"

A voice replied in a dull tone, "We'll order the Love-Me Fruit Punch and the Meowrific Choco-Banana Shake."

"Okay, with pleasure, my master!" said the chestnut-haired girl.

In reality, it made Yata cringe every time she had to talk. Unfortunately, her rent was due soon, and she barely had enough to make the cut. This particular part-time job paid well, and she would lose her apartment room if she didn't take it.

When she first started this job, it took every ounce of strength within her not to beat the living crap out of every guy who came in, but she learned to just avoid looking at the customers in general. It was the only way to control her anger.

As she walked away to get their drinks, the two men sitting at the table stood out—to say the least.

"We will now begin Scepter 4's 'forget-about-age party'!" the blue-eyed man said.

A single round of applause was made by the man across from him.

"So…why am I and the Captain the only ones present?"

"It appears that everyone else had other things planned for the night," Munakata replied as he adjusted the glasses on his face.

"Excuse me, but here are you drinks, my masters! Is there anything else you'd like to order?" chimed in the girl in maid clothing.

"…Pink-Super-Deluxe Hamburg Steak, Nyan-nyan Potato Fries, and Sparkling Starlight Spinach Salad" the third-in-command said without a hint of emotion.

"Okay, with pleasure, my masters!"

Munakata continued on, "what an interesting place you have picked for us to go to, Fushimi-kun. The girly atmosphere would have been perfect for Awashima."

"The Lieutenant in a girly place like this?" Fushimi said, trying to suppress his laugh.

"She may not seem like it, but she actually enjoys decorating her room with pink, frilly objects and sleep with herself surrounded by fancy stuffed animals."

Saruhiko sat in silence. "…How would you know about that, Captain?"

"Hahaha, Fushimi-kun, you wouldn't think that I would put security cameras within the Scepter 4 dormitories, would you?"

"…That's a crime you know."

"Every eyes and ears," Reisi said with a grin.

"What's with that smug look on your face after saying something like that!? Can I please leave the dorms already?"

After ringing the service bell, a slightly tired Yata came over to the table, "Yes my masters? Is there anything else I can get you?"

"…Fluffy Snuggle Mapo Tofu, Furry Paws Attack Omelet Rice, and Sweet Dreams Spaghetti with Clams."

"…Alright…with pleasure my masters!" Somehow, it had less enthusiasm than before.

Munakata glanced over to his fellow co-worker. "It is pretty rare to have a chance like this to speak with you, Fushimi-kun. Since it is just the two of us here, do you have any sort of troubles?"

"Don't worry about that. Even if I did have troubles, there's no way I would ask for your assistance."

"How cold. Even if it were about love troubles?"

"…It's really uncomfortable to be alone with you, Captain."

Interrupting their conversation, Misaki began to put plates onto the table. "Here's your Pink-Super-Deluxe Hamburg Steak, Nyan-nyan Potato Fries, Sparkling Starlight Spinach Salad, Fluffy Snuggle Mapo Tofu, Furry Paws Attack Omelet Rice, and Sweet Dreams Spaghetti with Clams. Do you still want anything else, my masters?"

"…Happy Fantasy Fried Rice, Kiss Me Baby Lemon Tart, and the Hold Me Closer Sundae."

"…Ughhh….I got it!" Misaki was beginning to get annoyed by this table, but managed to control her anger as she stalked away with her cosplay tail wagging behind her.

"So Fushimi-kun, tell me do you have any sort of special talents? I'm sure you had prepared something for the event tonight."

"Well…I wouldn't really say it is much of a talent but…" Saruhiko said, pulling out a stack of cards from his pocket.

"Oooh, card magic?"

Scepter 4's third-in-command managed to dazzle his superior, leaving him upset because he could not figure out how the blue-eyed man was able to pick out the correct card from the deck.

"Fushimi-kun, tell me how you did thi—"

"No. It wouldn't be called magic if I told you how I did this," Saruhiko replied flatly.

"Fushimi-kun…I'm your superior officer, you know."

"That's power-harassment."

Before the tension could rise any further, Misaki slammed down the dishes onto the table. "Sorry, but here's your order!" she shouted as she marched away from the table.

"…Fushimi-kun. Don't you think you ordered too much?"

"Why does it matter? Doesn't the financial department of Scepter 4 cover this anyway?" Fushimi clicked his tongue in annoyance.

"That is true…but you barely even touched the food."

Then, loud music began to play and all of the waitresses got up onto the stage, ready to do their 'Lovely Kitten-Maid' dance routine.

Saruhiko grinned for the first time since he's arrived at this place and stood up. "Excuse me, Captain, but I need to go use the restroom. Please feel free to examine my cards while you wait."

As the young Scepter 4 officer sauntered away from the table, he quickly approached the right side where Misaki was dancing. Her face was completely flushed with embarrassment. The only thing that could motivate her to continue on was the paycheck she was to receive later that night.

As she began to make her final jump spin in the air, Saruhiko secretly slipped a glass bottle beneath. The amber-eyed girl had one of her feet land on the bottle.

"_Kyaa_!" she cried out as she slipped and crash landed on someone on the floor beside the stage. "Oh my god! Sorry Master, are you okay?"

"You know that really hurt Mi-Sa-Kiiiii."

"I'm so sorr—" Misaki looked up in horror as to who's lap she was sitting on. "…HAAAA? SARU? WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE?"

"You finally noticed?" Saruhiko hissed in anger.

Misaki suddenly came to a realization. "AHHHHH! You were that table that kept calling me to get more food over and over again!"

"Well it's your fault for not noticing me."

"As you can see, it's the end of the year, and I'm really busy right now! I don't have time to play around with you!" Misaki's voice suddenly got quiet as she mumbled, "And if I don't do this job, I won't be able to pay my monthly rent…"

"Oh, the troubles of a destitute person~"

"SHUT UP! What the hell are you Blues doing in a place like this anyway? Don't you have anything better to do than to waste peoples' hard-earned tax dollars?" snapped Yata.

"As if you can really say anything! All you do is work these shitty jobs and hang around a bunch of worthless delinquents."

"I SAID SHUT UP! Don't talk about HOMRA as if you know anything about us, you traitor!" Misaki got up from the ground and dusted herself off. "You really are a pitiful human being, Saru."

The words burned straight into Fushimi's heart. It ignited his hatred of Suoh Mikoto, and annoyance of the girl who was too stupid and oblivious as to his real intentions. "Pitiful you say? YOU are the pitiful one. Worshiping the king of thugs and having to subject yourself to humiliating things in order to make ends meet."

Misaki began to surround herself in burning, hot aura. The crimson and fuschia flames dances around her body. "You bastard…whatever you do, mocking Mikoto-san is something I won't forgive!"

"Don't you need to do this job to pay for rent?" Saruhiko asked coyly.

"LIKE I GIVE A SHIT ABOUT THIS JOB. KILLING YOU IS MY NUMBER ONE PRIORITY!"

Fushimi chuckled to himself thinking, "Now she won't be able to pay for her rent. Maybe she'll need to crawl back to me for a place to stay."

Fushimi smirked and said, "Hurry up and chase after me, Misaki!"

As Misaki ripped the cat ears off of her head, she dashed after the blue-haired man quickly into the busy streets of Shizume City.

…

Munakata—now abandoned by everyone, sat in silence at his table in the Kitten-Maid Café.

"Excuse me, my master! Can I get you anything else?" a busty, brunette waitress asked the Scepter 4 captain.

"…Just the check. Please make the bill out to Shizume City's enforcement department, Scepter 4."


	6. Shopping

**Shopping (Okay, this one is modeled after Radio Drama #2 Shopping, but instead it will be taking Fem-Misaki. I'm adding a little bit of Saruhiko to the scene as well, because I would be sad without SaruMi.)**

* * *

"Today, we are going to go shopping for Misaki's clothes!" Totsuka stated cheerfully.

Already annoyed, Misaki replied, "Why do I have to get new clothes? I have plenty already."

"Yata-san! Please don't complain. This is a request from Anna."

* * *

Yesterday afternoon, the Red clansmen all were sitting idly within HOMRA—just like any other day. However, to everyone's surprise, Anna pulled on the amber-eyed girl's sweater and asked, "Am I wearing the wrong kind of clothes?"

The puzzled vanguard looked at Anna and knelt down beside her. "What do you mean, Anna?"

"Well…every day Misaki wears baggy shorts and big sweaters, but I wear these dresses. Should I be dressing more like you?"

Besides Anna, the little crow was the only other female in the Red clan. Since Yata was older than the strain, she would occasionally try to mimic the chestnut-haired girl, figuring that is how a lady should act.

Totsuka smiled and held onto Anna's hand. "Anna, what you wear suits you the best. Besides, it's Yata that doesn't choose to wear women's clothing."

"WHAT!? SCREW YOU! THIS IS WOMEN'S CLOTHING!" The crow's cheeks became a peachy pink color.

"My mistake. I meant FEMININE clothes."

"W-w-w-why should it matter? It's what I'm most comfortable in. Isn't that what is most important?"

The Red clansmen all gave a long sigh and shook their heads in unison. The vanguard was such a tomboy at heart. With a mouth that curses more than a drunken sailor, wild unkempt hair, baggy unisex clothing, and a face without a hint of makeup, everyone had given up on trying making the crow more girly—she was doomed to this fate for life. That was always the case, until…

"I want to see Misaki wearing dresses too..." Anna said quietly.

Everyone grew silent and turned to look at the amber-eyed girl. Misaki turned bright red as she knew what everyone was thinking. "Ss-s-s-shut up! I refuse to wear any of that frilly stuff."

Although Anna's face never showed an ounce of emotion, there was no doubt that the girl was feeling disappointment as she sat back down next to the Red King.

Instantly the Red clansmen all began to shout at once:

"Yata-san! Are you really going to disappoint Anna like that!?"

"You're going to make her cry! You are a real jerk!"

"Just shut up and do it for her sake!"

Having everyone nagging the crow made her fist began to shake in anger. However, before she could reply, Suoh sat up from the couch he was resting on and opened his eyes.

"So noisy…Yata, just shut up and do what everyone says," Suoh said lazily.

It was a direct order from Mikoto himself. Everyone knew that the chestnut-haired girl would never disobey a command from her king. Sighing in utter defeat, Misaki opened her mouth and said, "Fine. Do you whatever you want."

Totsuka smiled and put his arm around the little vanguard's shoulders. "So with that being said, let's go shopping tomorrow!"

* * *

Remembering the conversation yesterday made the girl breathe out another sigh. "So…where are we going to buy this kind of frilly clothes?"

Misaki had never bought dresses or anything that had frills, lace, or ribbons. During middle school, she was forced to wear the girl's school uniform, but Yata always had a pair of shorts or gym pants underneath the skirt.

"We have a shop that we frequently go to, right Anna?" Totsuka's token carefree grin appeared on his face. "Anna's clothes really have complicated designs though…Come to think of it, isn't this kind of clothing like a work of art? I think I just had a spark of inspiration to create one of my own!"

Tatara was a man who loved learning about all sorts of things, and often he would focus all his attention on that hobby until he moved onto another.

"Totsuka-san…let's just go." Misaki could only imagine what sort of monstrosity he would make.

As the four Red clansmen began to walk towards a popular girl's clothing store, a certain Blue clansman happened to catch the little crow on his radar. Fushimi's eyes lit up in pure delight as he saw the amber-eyed girl he loved. But, what was she doing going into that girl's clothing store? From the looks of the outside, it only had super feminine clothes full of frills and ribbons—definitely not something that HOMRA's vanguard would be caught dead wearing.

The blue-eyed boy looked and saw Anna walking beside her. Totsuka and Kanamoto were right behind the two. "Oh, they are probably just taking Anna out to buy her more clothes."

Much to the Scepter 4 officer's surprise, he heard Tatara say, "Oooh! There are so many cute dresses to choose from! Anna, what kind of dress would you like to see Yata wearing?"

"One that looks like mine…with red flowers."

Saruhiko could not believe what he heard. They were going to the boutique to get clothes for Misaki!? He waited until the four entered the store before he ran to the store front, hiding and peeking inside.

"How about this one Anna?"

The girl nodded her head. "Yes."

Totsuka handed the dress over to vanguard. "Here you go, try it on."

Yata dragged her feet and stared at the ground as she slowly made her way into the dressing room. A few minutes later, there was a shout that could have been heard throughout the whole neighborhood. "NO WAY! THERE IS NO WAY I'M GOING TO WEAR THIS STUFF!"

"Yata-san, did you put it on? Come out and show Anna already," Kanamoto said with a groan.

"S-s-s-shut up! There's no way I'm going to show you! Leave me alone!" cried the voice behind the curtain.

Without saying a word, Anna walked over to Misaki's dressing room and pulled open the curtain.

"_Kyaaaa_! What are you doing!?" Misaki's face was glowing a deep red.

As the two male Red clansmen stared at the little crow in front of them, they tried with all their might not to burst out laughing—the key word in that sentence was "tried."

"BWAHAHAHA! YATA-SAN, THAT JUST LOOKS…" Kanamoto couldn't even finish his sentence because he was laughing so much.

The dress not only looked strange on the chestnut-haired girl, but it also failed to fit the crow's flat-as-a-board physique. The top of the dress hung too loosely, as the strap fell right off her shoulders. The girl was also too short to wear the dress, and it dragged on the floor. Moreover, the dress was designed too extravagantly in flowers and lace. The amber-eyed girl looked more like a Valentine 's Day box of chocolates than a cute Lolita girl.

Saruhiko became instantly annoyed. "What the hell are they making my Misaki wear? Only I'm allowed to dress her up in clothes and tease her!" He clenched his fist to prevent himself from smashing through the shop window and dragging his beloved out of the Red clansmen's' clutches.

"KANAMOTO! WHY THE HELL ARE YOU LAUGHING? I'M GOING TO KILL YOU, FATTY!" Misaki released a fuchsia aura around her as she prepared to knock out her fellow clansmen.

"Come on now Yata. That was only the first one. Here try on another one," Totsuka said with a smile.

Totsuka, Kanamoto, and Anna all took turns picking out clothes for Yata, but every one of them just looked too strange on HOMRA's vanguard.

After trying on the tenth one, Misaki threw her hands up in the air. "Ugh, let's just buy whatever and quickly get out of here!" Yata pleaded. "I'm feeling really uncomfortable here. I told you this kind of stuff doesn't suit me at all!"

The chestnut-haired girl felt a small hand tug on her fingers. Anna looked up at Yata and quietly said, "It's fine. You don't have to buy one Misaki."

The little crow sighed. He didn't want to disappoint the girl, since she earnestly tried hard to pick out something nice for Yata to wear.

Before Misaki could say anything, the store clerk said, "Umm, excuse me? I was told to give you this dress for you to try on."

The Red clansmen all looked at each other in confusion. Yata sighed and said, "Alright, but this is the last one I'm going to put on."

After a few minutes of silence, the amber-eyed girl slowly drew back the curtains with a soft blush staining her cheeks. Kanamoto's mouth dropped as he saw the vanguard before him.

"…W-w-what do you think?" Misaki stuttered.

It was a crimson-red dress that was a lot simpler than the other ones, but it fit Misaki's form perfectly. The dress was an empire-waist style, with a black ribbon tied around. The straps were made of smaller ruffles, and there were a few ruffles at the bottom as well, with a singled red flower stitched above it on the front right side. The dress flowed out at the bottom perfectly. Furthermore, instead of it dragging on the ground, the dress came down to her knees.

"Yata-san…it looks…" Kanamoto couldn't describe it in words.

"Beautiful. Misaki is beautiful." Although Anna's face was still expressionless, you could still sense a bit of joy coming her voice.

"Yata, let's buy this one then, shall we?" Totsuka turned to the sales clerk. "Thank you for choosing such a wonderful dress."

The salesperson gave a puzzled look. "Actually, we got a phone call not too long ago from a random person, telling me to give this dress to her. I don't know how he knew her size, but it seems to fit you perfectly, miss. He had also paid for the dress as well, so I can wrap it up for you after you change your clothes."

"What? Who the hell would do such a thing?" Misaki asked.

Totsuka smiled as he immediately understood the situation. "Hmmmm, I wonder! It sounds to me like it is someone who can't be honest and express his feelings directly to you." Tatara made sure he said these words loud enough for Fushimi to hear.

Saruhiko clicked his tongue in annoyance as he stood up and began to walk away from the store. "Why does that guy always say things that make me want to kill him?"

The Blue clansman's anger quickly dissipated though as he stared at the photo on his cellphone. It was a picture of Misaki right after she had first stepped out of the dressing room—wearing the dress that he chose for her. "Misaki…my Misaki. Please just look at me and only me. I don't want to give you to anyone else," Saruhiko said to himself as he headed back to Scepter 4's headquarters.


	7. Photo Shoot

**Photo Shoot**

**Note: **This is designed around two of Spoon's SaruMi official art.

* * *

"Yata-kun! Can I have you move a little bit closer to the middle? A bit more…a bit more…good! Okay, we're going to take a fifteen minute break before we change outfits and the background."

A few days ago, the little vanguard of HOMRA was trying out one of her newest tricks on her skateboard. In terms of the difficulty scale, it was one of the riskiest, as she would ride down a steep handrail at the park in downtown Shizume City. Once she picked up enough velocity, the crow would launch herself into the air, doing an air pirouette followed by a somersault. She would then do her finish, as she would land onto her board right before it hit the pavement.

Incidentally, a lead photographer for one of the most popular teen fashion magazines happened to be walking through the park. He was approaching the stairs when he saw the Red clansman flying towards him down the ramp. He cried out in surprise, thinking he would be smashed into head on. Instead, Misaki flew over him with her messy chestnut-colored hair blowing wildly in the wind. Higa Kazuya felt like it was love at first sight—at least in terms of an artistic sense, as he saw her carefree smile paired with amber eyes burning with passion.

"Oh crap, sorry man. Are you alright?" Yata asked as she swerved her board back towards Higa.

"No worries, I'm alright. But, I was wondering, do you mind if I ask you for your name?"

"It's Yata." Misaki refused to introduce herself with her first name. She felt that the girly name didn't particularly suit her violent, crude personality.

"I see…this might sound like an odd question, but Yata-kun—if you don't mind calling you that, have you ever considered modeling before?" Kazuya asked.

"_Haaaaaa?_ What the hell are you saying?" The crow knew that she wasn't exactly a beauty queen or popular with guys, thus Misaki would have never guessed in all her life that she would be asked such a question. Furthermore, her clothing choices never went beyond unisex t-shirts, shorts, baggy sweaters, and sneakers.

"Well, first I would like to introduce myself. My name is Higa Kazuya, and I am the head photographer for Street Beat magazine, which is currently one of the top fashion magazines for teenagers."

"Really? Never heard of it." The vanguard of HOMRA's reading selection only consisted of manga or skateboarding magazines.

Feeling a little bit dejected, Kazuya was determined to press on. "Anyway, I was wondering if you're interested in being our lead amateur model for the upcoming edition."

The Red clansman could not believe what she was hearing. "Huh? Is there something wrong with your brain!? What part of me even looks like I'd fit that role? You're off your rocker." Misaki picked up her skateboard and began to walk towards the park exit. "I need to head to my part-time job now, so bye."

"WAIT! How much is that job paying you, 'cause I'm willing to pay five times what they are giving you! Please Yata-kun, it is only going to take a few hours." Whenever the man had found his model, he was persistent—refusing to take no for an answer.

The crow realized that her rent payment was coming up soon, and she was worried that she wouldn't have enough to makes ends meet. With a sigh, the chestnut-haired girl replied, "…It's only for a few hours right? Fine. Where and when do I go meet you?"

* * *

Overall, the job wasn't particularly bad. It was awkward when she had a bunch of girls surrounding her to put on makeup, but the photographer said she could just relax and be herself for her poses. She would be able to put up with it all, except for one thing…

"Oi. You shitty monkey. What the fuck do you think you're doing? Why are you here?"

Fushimi clicked his tongue and replied, "Nothing in particular. I was just bored and wanted to make fun of you doing goofy poses and making stupid faces."

The amber-eyed girl clenched her fist tightly, ready to sock the Blue clansman on the jaw. "HOW THE HELL DID YOU EVEN KNOW THAT I GOT THIS JOB IN THE FIRST PLACE? YOU SCARE ME SOMETIMES, YOU FUCKING BASTARD!"

"_Ahh_, Yata-kun! I actually ran into Fushimi-kun in the park not much longer after you and I met. Who would have known that you two were actually friends?" Kazuya said with a laugh.

"WHAT PART OF THIS ACTUALLY LOOKS LIKE WE GET ALONG!?" The girl's face was bright red at this point.

"Haha, well regardless, you both match up real well, so please bear with us for a couple more hours."

Surprisingly, the clothes that she wore for the photo shoot wasn't what she had imagined at all. The vanguard assumed they were going to try to dress her up in the frilly, over-decorated outfits that the hipster girls in Shizume would wear. Every outfit that Yata wore for the photo shoot was actually things she would wear. "I wonder if this is the new fashion trend or something," the amber-eyed girl thought to herself.

The first outfit she had on was a black parka with white fur trim around the hood. She wore a red tank top underneath a crème-colored sweater. She had on khaki shorts and black sneakers below. The shitty monkey on the other hand was dressed in a greenish-grey pea coat with a black sweater underneath. He had on green cargo pants and grey loafers. Wrapped around the Blue's neck was a grey-checkered scarf that hung behind him. She couldn't deny that Saruhiko looked good in that outfit, but she would rather die than to tell him that.

Her final outfit was very simple. She wore a pair of olive-green shorts and a black tank top. Fushimi was wearing a pair of blue pants, a white button-down shirt, and a navy-blue vest. What was funny to the little crow though was the fact that the blue-haired man had the top half of the shirt unbuttoned.

"You look like a fucking moron, Saru. What are you supposed to be—a pimp or something?" Misaki tried to suppress her laugh.

Instead of scowling and clicking his tongue, the Red clansman was surprised to see a smile appear on the blue-eyed boy's face. It was devious, as if he knew something that she did not. "You might be laughing now, but just remember I'll have the last laugh in the end."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean, you stupid monkey?"

Before the fight could escalate any further, Higa popped his head into the dressing room and asked, "Hey guys, are you ready for the final part?"

The little crow let out a loud sigh. "Yes, let's hurry and just get this over and done with."

The final photo shoot set was simply just a white cloth on the ground. "Okay, I want Fushimi-kun to lay vertically on your back with your feet toward me…Yes just like that…Put your left arm out and make the upper half perpendicular to the rest of your body…Hmmm…Move the lower part of your arm inward diagonally…Okay, and now just lay your head towards your left side…Perfect."

Higa turned to Misaki and said, "Okay now it's your turn. What I want you to do is lay in the opposite direction of Fushimi-kun."

The amber-eyed girl began to blush as she sat down on the white sheet.

"Alright, how I want you to rest your head on top of Fushimi-kun's left arm."

Yata's eyes widened in horror as she shouted, "What!? You want me to lay on Saru? Don't fuck with me!"

"It's just your head though, Yata-kun. Please can you do it for me?"

The Blue clansman chuckled and gave his token smirk. "Mi-Sa-Ki, what is the big deal? Are you scared of me or something?"

The Scepter 4 officer knew exactly how to get a rise out of the vanguard of HOMRA. He knew with a little bit of egging on, the girl would quickly become defensive and do what he wanted.

"SHUT UP! I'M NOT SCARED! WATCH AND I'LL FUCKING DO IT!" Misaki shouted.

"Bingo, you really are a single-celled idiot, Misaki," Fushimi thought to himself.

Although hesitating at first, the chestnut-haired girl laid down and rested her head upon the Blue's bicep. It felt strange though. "How long has it been since I've been this close to Saru?" she thought.

It was unusually comforting—Saruhiko's warmth, his scent, and his breath gently blowing against her skin. Inadvertently, Yata moved her face and arm closer to Saruhiko's. She felt her body completely relax and her mind get lost in her thoughts. The amber-eyed girl didn't even realize that any pictures were being taken until she heard Higa say, "Alright guys! That's all I need! Thanks for all your hard work!"

The Red clansman began to blush as she realized that she was too busy thinking about the blue-eyed boy to notice anything else. She turned her head towards Saruhiko, and she instantly shot back up to standing position. Fushimi was grinning—not his usual smirk he had on his face, but a genuinely affectionate, loving smile. Yata could feel her body become extremely hot, as she couldn't hide her embarrassment. Without saying a word, the girl ran straight into the dressing room to change.

* * *

Several weeks went by and the little vanguard received a phone call from Kazuya. They agreed to meet at a small coffee shop by the magazine company's main office. When the crow arrived, she noticed that Fushimi was already there, sipping on a cup of black coffee.

Completely mortified by how she acted for the final shoot, the chestnut-haired girl spent the following weeks avoiding the Blue clansman as much as she could, even going to the extent of ignoring him when he called out to her.

"Misaki, now that you see me here, do you plan on running away again?" the blue-eyed boy asked with a smirk.

"S-s-shut up you stupid monkey! It can't be helped. Higa-san called me to meet him here." A scowl appeared on Misaki's face.

"Hey guys! I'm glad you could both make it! I wanted to show you guys the final product!" Kazuya said excitedly as he began to open a manila envelope in his hands.

The amber-eyed girl's cheeks instantly turned bright pink as she saw the picture of her resting her head on Fushimi's arm. "…What, we're on the cover!?"

"The picture came out so well that the magazine producer herself decided to use it as this month's cover image! Your facial expression was really captivating, and all of the women in the office really loved the picture as well. Here, I have a copy for you, Yata-kun."

The crow looked at the magazine in her hands, still shocked at seeing her face on a magazine.

…

"Wait a second…Street Beat – The number one fashion magazine…FOR MEN!?" the crow exclaimed.

"Yes, we're the best selling teen magazine for current men's fashion. Is something wrong?" Kazuya asked with a confused look on his face.

And then, it suddenly hit her. It all made sense as to why she was dressing up in such gender-neutral clothing.

"_Pffft!_ HAHAHAHAHA!" The blue-haired boy started to burst out laughing as he watched the Red clansman's reaction.

Shaking in anger, Misaki began to glow a deep-red aura. "Higa-san…you do know I'm a girl right?" Yata tried everything possible to prevent herself from exploding.

"…EH!? WHAT!? But…but when I met you, you were wearing boy's clothes! And your chest and figure is flat and straight!"

Something had snapped inside the crow. Bright fuchsia flames danced around her body and she began to scream out in rage.

"HAHAHA, MISAKI! YOUR FLAT-AS-A-BOARD PHYSIQUE CONFUSES EVEN PHOTOGRAPHERS WHOSE JOB IS TO LOOK AT PEOPLE ALL DAY LONG!" Saruhiko enjoyed every second of being able to tease the girl beside him.

"FUCKING BASTARDS! I'M GOING TO KILL THE BOTH OF YOU RIGHT NOW!" Misaki shouted as the magazine incinerated in the burning heat of her fire.

"I told you I'd get the last laugh in the end, Misaki~" Saruhiko began to run away gleefully with a smug look on his face.

"GET BACK HERE NOW!"

As Kazuya saw the fiery pillar disappear along with the blue-haired boy down the street, he said to himself, "…I'm guessing they probably won't want to come back for the Spring Special edition."


	8. Stuck

**Stuck**

* * *

**Note:** I'm taking the K Radio Drama 8 where Anna gets stuck between two vending machines, and replacing it with Fem-Misaki Instead. Special crossover guest appearance at the end of it!

* * *

The amber-eyed girl couldn't believe the predicament she was in. Never in all her nineteen years of living did such an unfortunate event occur. Approximately ten minutes ago, the little vanguard of HOMRA was skillfully gliding over rooftops and gracefully soaring into the sky, jumping from one building to the next on her skateboard. It was all smooth sailing…until the crow saw something frightening below her.

As she was doing a 1080 degree air spin to vault over a large alleyway, Yata happened to notice two people below her. It was a young teenage couple who were busy making out and groping each other.

"_Kyaaaaa!_" the chestnut-haired girl screamed out, while she covered her eyes instinctively.

The vanguard was unable to make a smooth landing to the next building and had a shaky start for her next leap. Incapable of maintaining her velocity and direction, the girl quickly plummeted downward, painfully crashing in between two, cold metal objects. After a few minutes, Misaki was able to focus her thoughts beyond her aching body. Opening up her bleary eyes, the crow was able to see that somehow she fell between two large vending machines.

"What the fuck!? How the hell did this happen?" the amber-eyed girl shouted, while she tried to squirm free.

She was stuck. It was such a tight fit that she could barely even wiggle her arms or legs within the confined space. Normally such a situation would not cause an issue for the Red clansman, as she was fairly strong and possessed the color power of her clan. However, when she tried to release her aura, she felt the flesh of her skin begin to burn.

"_Owwww!_ Hot! Hot! Fuck!" she screamed out in agony.

The metal of the vending machines conducted the heat of the crimson flames, quickly raising the temperature of the surface. It was already a hot, summer day as it was, so the material was too perfect of a conductor. It still shouldn't have been a problem though for Yata. She began to focus all her strength and attempted to push the vending machines apart…

"What the FUCKING hell?" The two metal containers would not even budge. Little did the girl know, a recent streak of vandalism within the area had caused owners to begin ordering heavy, reinforced machines that were firmly bolted to the cement below.

She was trapped. She was unable to reach her PDA. There was no one around the area to call out for help to. "Shit…what the hell am I going to do now?" Misaki muttered to herself.

Coincidentally, a certain Scepter 4 officer was walking down the street performing his duties. "Fuck…why is it so god damned hot today?" Fushimi grumbled, as he felt the perspiration under his uniform.

It was humid and sweltering. To look professional at all times, the Blue clansmen were all expected to wear their full uniforms no matter what the weather was. The blue-haired man knew that if he didn't comply, the blonde lieutenant of Scepter 4 would begin her incessant nagging.

"_Tch_, I should stop to get some tea," he thought.

Saruhiko had read his daily horoscope before leaving the dormitories in the morning. The prediction stated that he was ranked number one for luck today, but it came with a warning:

_Scorpios will enjoy being favored by luck's wealth today, but one should act quickly on any blessings, as opportunity can swiftly be ripped from one's grasp._

"How is this 'being favored by luck's wealth'?" the Blue clansman said, when he slammed his money into the coin slot.

Suddenly, the man could hear a familiar girl's voice crying out. "Oi! Whoever is out there! Can you please help me? I'm stuck!"

Fushimi's eyes opened wide. "…Misaki, is that you?" he asked, while he peered over between the two vending machines.

"..."

"…_BWAHAHAHAH!_" the Scepter 4 officer laughed out, when he saw his beloved smashed between the metal casings. Her head was about two feet in, facing towards Fushimi. Her body was turned sideways, and her arms and legs appeared to be stuck as well. "What the fuck happened to you?"

"_Geh_, out of all people to come this way, why the fuck did it have to be the shitty monkey?" the Red clansman thought miserably.

"SHUT UP! JUST HELP ME GET OUT OF HERE, GOD DAMMIT!" the girl shouted, while she made pathetic attempts to flail her extremities.

"Why didn't you just push your way out or use your color power to get out, Mi-Sa-Ki? Are you that much of a single-celled idiot that you didn't even think of doing that?" Fushimi said with a smirk.

"Of course I tried both, you fucking piece of shit! The metal makes it impossible for me to use the fire, and for some reason these vending machines are bolted to the ground! FUCK!"

Saruhiko couldn't believe it. His daily horoscope had come true after all. The beautiful amber-eyed girl was trapped before him and at his mercy. The second part of his fortune didn't even make sense either, as Yata was completely unable to run from him. She belonged all to him.

A sadistic grin appeared on the Blue's lips. He could just let the girl free, but that wouldn't be fun at all. He wanted to tease his little crow first. Reaching into his inner coat pocket, the blue-haired man grabbed a ballpoint pen and removed the cap.

"…Oi, Saru. What the fuck do you think you're doing!?...Nooo!...NO STOP…GOD DAMMIT, FUCKING GET YOUR FUCKING HANDS AW—_AHHHH_, YOU BASTARD!" Yata screamed out, when she felt the man scribbling all over her cheeks and forehead.

Taking a quick snapshot with his phone's camera, the Blue clansman turned the screen to the little crow and showed her what was written, saying: Single-celled moron; Property of Fushimi Saruhiko; 166.9cm midget; and Hopeless, no-figure virgin.

Misaki could feel her face grow red-hot in anger. "…I'M GOING TO FUCKING MURDER YOU, YOU SHITTY MONKEY! GET ME OUT RIGHT NOW!"

"And why would I do that, Mi-Sa-Kiiiiii?" the blue-eyed man asked, as he extended his arm in order to take a picture with both him and the chestnut-haired girl. "Quick Misaki, say 'PEACE!'"

The crow screamed out in indignation, and she could feel her blood boiling. After about ten minutes of teasing and tickling the helpless girl, Fushimi decided it was long enough, and that he would finally help her escape her confinement…if he only knew how. As the crow had stated earlier, the vending machines were firmly bolted to the ground. They were made of industrial-grade steel, which must have weighed 800 pounds each.

The only plausible way to extract the Red clansman would be to cut them in half. Quickly dialing the Scepter 4 headquarters number on his phone, the Heartless Woman picked up, already sounding annoyed. "Fushimi, where are you? You are going to be late for the weekly meeting."

The third-in-command clicked this tongue, and he replied, "I'm trying to help someone who's stuck between two vending machines right now. Can I have permission to release my saber?"

"What? You…trying to help a person? Don't joke around, Fushimi. There is no way in hell that you would go out of way to save someone else, especially with such a half-assed story such as that. Hurry up and get back to the headquarters." Awashima quickly hung up the phone.

Saruhiko angrily slammed his phone shut and turned back towards the machines. "That fucking bitch…I'm going to slash her into a million pieces one of these days…"

With all of his strength, the blue-haired man tried to pull the vending machine. Every attempt was completely fruitless, since they would not budge. After about another ten minutes of trying, the Blue collapsed to the ground—dirty, sweaty, and exhausted. He began to hear a whimpering sob coming from the little vanguard.

"…Saru…am I really stuck here? What if I can't get out?"

Fushimi dusted himself off. Standing up from the pavement, he approached the chestnut-haired girl, who had tears in her eyes. His Misaki was now sad, and it broke his heart to see her weeping. "Don't worry Misaki, I'll find a way for you to get out. Please don't cry."

He gently placed a hand on top of the girl's head. Yata gazed up at the blue-eyed man, feeling strangely comforted by his words. "Saruhiko…" she said with a soft blush staining her cheeks.

Misaki looked too cute. Feeling his heart beat rapidly, the Blue clansman had the sudden urge to kiss his beloved on her pink, moist lips. Leaning forward, Fushimi began to move his head towards the girl, when…

"…_AH!_ I can't move my head anymore! FUCK, I THINK I'M STUCK!" the Scepter 4 officer shouted out, while he tried to pull his head back.

"_Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!?_ You fucking idiot! How the FUCK did you get stuck too?"

"It's your fault, Mi-Sa-Ki! You were looking so cute and trying to seduce me to kiss you!"

"_HAAAA!?_ WHO THE FUCK DID THAT, YOU SHITTY MONKEY!? THAT'S FUCKING DISGUSTING! WHEN WE GET OUT, I'M GOING TO BEAT THE SHIT OUT OF YOU!"

"What? What is fucking disgusting, Miii-saaaa-kiiiiiiiii? Fine then, I'm going to just squeeze further in and keep our lips stuck together the whole time we're trapped in here!"

"…NO! NO, NO. NOOOO! STOP THAT, YOU IDIOT! NOOOOO, HELP! SOMEONE HELP ME! GOD FUCKING DAMMIT IT HEL—"

Centimeters before the Blue managed to get his lips against the crow's, the two felt one of the vending machines begin to shake furiously. Before the two knew it, someone had ripped the bolts apart from the cement and managed to move the machine—freeing them both. In shock, the two slowly turned their heads in unison and saw a blond man in purple glasses, wearing a bartender suit.

"…Kusanagi-san?" Yata asked, completely perplexed.

The man looked just like Kusanagi Izumo, who was the bar owner of HOMRA, but his voice was completely different. "Who? You've got the wrong person. My name is Heiwajima Shizuo."

Misaki began to blush a bright red color, while she gazed at the man holding the vending machine as if it were made of paper.

"Are you alright?" the man asked.

The amber-eyed girl nodded and whispered out a quiet, "Thanks."

"_Ahhh_, there you are Shizuo-kun. What are you doing?" another voice asked at the alleyway entrance.

"Oh, Tom-san. Nothing. I just heard someone calling out for help, and so I moved the vending machine," the blond man replied.

"_Ehh_, another one? That's the second person you've helped out since we've come to this city. First that little girl with the silver hair and red eyes, and now these two? Is it some sort of hobby here? Oh well, let's go. We have a client waiting," Tanaka Tom said.

Tossing the vending machine aside, Shizuo pushed up his sunglasses and nodded at Fushimi and Yata before walking away with the brunette man.

Watching the man disappear around the corner, the Blue clansman began to clench his fist. Even with all of his strength, he was unable to save his love from her confinement. Yet some strange man was able to save the two of them without difficulty. Saruhiko felt weak and pathetic.

The blue-haired man jumped a bit when he felt a small hand began to wipe some of the dust from his coat. "…Misaki? What are you doing!?"

"Sorry, it was my fault you got dirty. I know you hate looking messy…Thanks for helping me out."

The Scepter 4 officer clicked his tongue, as he replied, "_Tch_, I didn't even do anything…In the end I couldn't even save you…"

"Yeah I know. But thanks anyway, Saruhiko," the Red clansman said with a smile.

Fushimi felt himself begin to blush after hearing those words. However, the color quickly drained from his face after hearing the proceeding statement.

"…But you know what? I wonder who that guy was! He looked just like Kusanagi-san, but he was super strong! He was cool, kind of like a hero!" Yata said excitedly, while her eyes sparkled.

Pure anger and jealously overcame the blue-eyed man. He suddenly remembered his daily horoscope in that moment.

_Scorpios will enjoy being favored by luck's wealth today, but one should act quickly on any blessings, as opportunity can swiftly be ripped from one's grasp._

Grabbing onto the crow's shoulders tightly, he began to yell out, "_HAAAAA?_ WHY ARE YOU LOOKING AT OTHER MEN BESIDES ME, MISAKI? I'M WAY COOLER AND STRONGER THAN ANY OF THOSE OTHER LOSERS. SO JUST LOOK AT ME, YOU SINGLE-CELLED IDIOT!"

"WH-WH-WHAT!? IT WAS YOU WHO COULDN'T GET ME OUT IN THE FIRST PLACE! HOW THE FUCK ARE YOU STRONGER THAN THAT GUY!? AND ALL YOU DID WAS JUST TEASE ME AND INSULT ME THE WHOLE TIME, YOU FUCKING BASTARD!"

Crimson aura glowing around the girl, she began to crack her knuckles. "I just remembered that I need to kick your fucking ass! Prepare to eat shit and die, you shitty monkey!"

Now being chased by the vanguard, Saruhiko had forgotten about his Scepter 4 meeting and his duties entirely, as he ran in ecstasy from his beloved chestnut-haired girl. "Hurry up and catch me, Mi-Sa-Ki!"

"Shut up and die already!"

* * *

**End Note:** If you have no clue who Heiwajima Shizuo and Tanaka Tom are, they are both characters in Narita Ryohgo's series Durarara! In the radio drama, it was actually Suoh Mikoto that came to save Anna, but I thought it would be funnier throwing in the random crossover into the story. Hope you enjoyed it!


	9. A Test of Courage

**A Test of Courage**

**Note:** I'm basing this around the Ghost Stories Radio Drama, where Yata is frightened, but refuses to admit that he is scared. This story is going to depict the aftermath of the event—including Saru of course.

More romance-focused instead of comedy.

* * *

It had been two days since her humiliating experience at HOMRA. Her fellow Red clansmen had gathered around the bar one night to listen to Kanamoto's reason as to why he moved out of his old apartment. Although she managed to play off her fear for a little while, Anna had suddenly appeared before them and insisted that she too wanted to tell ghost stories. In the end, the chestnut-haired girl screamed her head off and fled the bar.

The following day, Misaki insisted that she didn't flee from fear, but simply because she forgot that she had to work at one of her part-time jobs that night. Totsuka Tatara—mischievous as always, suggested that the Red clansmen do a kimodameshi, or a test of courage.

"_Hey all! You know that abandoned Shinto Shrine up at the North East end of Shizume City? It seems that they plan to demolish what is left of it next week. Apparently decades ago, there was a fire, and quite a few people died in it. The shrine owners had left it up in order to allow sufficient time for those souls to go to Yomi."_

_With a grin, Tatara continued on. "So, with that being said. Let's all do a kimodameshi there tomorrow night!"_

"_Haaaa? Why would we waste time on something as stupid as that!?" The little crow shot up from her seat and shook her head in disbelief._

"_Yata-chan, it can't be that you're scared, are you?" Kusanagi asked with a smirk._

"_W-w-w-what!? Why the fuck would I be scared? It's just going to be a boring waste of time!"_

"_Awww come on Yata. You don't want to disappoint Anna now, do you?" Turning to the strain girl beside him, Totsuka asked, "You want Yata to come too right?"_

_The silver-haired girl nodded and said quietly, "It will be more fun…if we all go together…Including Misaki."_

_Unable to refuse the ruby-eyed girl, the vanguard threw her hands up into the air and shouted, "FINE THEN! I'LL FUCKING GO! ARE YOU ALL HAPPY, YOU FUCKING BASTARDS?"_

_The Red clansmen all nodded in unison._

Staring down at her watch, Misaki noticed that there was only an hour until the meeting time. With a look of determination, the amber-eyed girl jammed her hands into the hoodie's pockets and started to charge towards the Shinto Shrine.

However, little did the girl know, Scepter 4's third-in-command Fushimi Saruhiko was trailing behind her, curious as to where his beloved was going. "…Misaki…What plans do you have at this hour?" he muttered to himself.

Swiftly moving from lamppost to alleyway to building, the Blue clansman remained well-hidden from all eyes, except for one person.

"Saaaaaaaaaaru-kun~ What are you doing?" A voice of a certain brown-eyed man called from behind him.

Instantly spinning his head around, Fushimi saw Tatara standing there with his trademark, care-free smile slapped onto his face.

"Totsuka-san. I could be asking you the same thing. What the hell are you doing all the way out here on the North East end?"

"Are you asking what I'm doing here, or what Yata is doing?" he replied, still not breaking the grin on his lips.

Saruhiko's fist shook as he used all his strength not to slug the man beside him. "Just shut the fuck up and tell me what you're doing here," the Blue hissed through his clenched teeth.

"A test of courage! We're all going to the abandoned Shinto Shrine not far from here to do a kimodameshi! Would you like to come join us, Saru-kun?"

Fushimi clicked his tongue. Every time the brunette called him "Saru-kun," he could feel his blood pressure rise, as the blood pulsed through his body in frustration. "Why the hell would I come join you worthless scum in a stupid event like that?"

"Awww, so you don't want to come join us!? I'm pretty sure Yata will be scared, seeing as she's afraid of ghost stories and anything occult-related. I'm SURE she would be clinging onto whoever she is partnered up with."

_His _Misaki? Cling onto another man's arm besides his? Unacceptable. Clicking his tongue again, the blue-haired man began to chase after Yata. "Misaki, don't you dare partner up with anyone except for me, you stupid idiot!"

Watching the Scepter 4 officer disappear off in the distance, with a cheerful expression on his face, the man thought, "He might be tightly guarded about most of his thoughts and feelings. But, his emotions are always so obvious when it comes to Yata."

* * *

"Oi! You Shitty-ass Monkey! What the fuck are you doing here? Shouldn't you be working, you useless tax-payer money leecher!" Yata tried to push away the blue-haired man who was trying to wrap his arm around her waist.

"Mi-Sa-Kiiiii, I only came because I knew you'd be crying in fear without me," Fushimi said with a smirk.

"How the FUCK did you even know that we were here? You are one creepy-ass fucker sometimes."

"I actually told him to come join us, Yata!" Tatara chimed in.

"Haaaaaaa!? WHY?"

"We were odd in numbers, and we needed one more person to even things out! You wouldn't want to have to end up doing the kimodameshi alone now, would you?"

With a soft blush, the vanguard mumbled, "No…I guess not."

"Well, that settles it! Now that all of us have gathered here, I will be giving each pair a flashlight. What I've been told about this shrine is that there are five mini shrines. Every shrine has different prayer beads—each representing a different thing within nature: rain, wind, lightning, forest, and mountain. Every group is to go to each of the shrines and take one of the prayer beads. When you gathered them all, come back to this spot."

Shining the flashlight up at his face, the brown-eyed man began to whisper, "Be cautious on where you tread though. The fire occurred in the center of the building, so it wouldn't be surprising if you run into a thing or two along the way."

Feeling a chill run down her spine, Yata instinctively moved closer to the Blue clansman beside her.

"Alright then! Everyone make sure to hold onto your partner! We'll all be going in a few minutes apart from each other. That way you can't all huddle into one group!"

As the groups went in one-by-one, Yata and Fushimi found themselves to be the last ones outside of the shrine. Swallowing hard, the chestnut-haired girl began to have thoughts of just turning around and fleeing the shrine. Completely understanding the girl's thought process at that time, the blue-eyed man grabbed onto the crow's arm and pulled her behind him.

"Oi, you stupid bastard! What are you doing? Let go…FUCK I SAID LET GO!"

Halting immediately in his tracks, the Scepter 4 officer turned around and gripped onto the girl's other arm, holding tightly onto her wrists. "Are you going to run away? You're just setting yourself up to be teased by that worthless trash that's already inside the building. Stop being such a crybaby, and we'll finish this fast. I'm here with you, so you shouldn't be scared."

Surprisingly calm for once, the Red clansman nodded and began to walk slowly through the entrance. It was dark. Even with the flashlight, the two could barely see beyond a few feet in front of them. The wooden floorboards creaked with every step. There was dust and cobwebs covering the furniture. Scattered debris laid all over the ground, as pillagers had made their way through the shrine before.

A few minutes later, the duo had finally arrived at the first shrine. Swiping the beads off of one of the plates, the crow quickly shoved it into her pocket. "Okay, one down. Let's hurry up and get to the next."

After grabbed the second and third beads, Misaki began to lighten up. "This actually isn't so bad after all. We only have two more left, and nothing weird has happened!" she thought.

The girl had come to this conclusion too soon though. Not a moment later, the two could hear footsteps from behind them. Turning her head around, Yata saw nothing behind them. The sounds had ceased as well. When she took another step forward, the amber-eyed girl could hear the footsteps behind her again. This time they were faster and more prominent.

Swallowing hard, Misaki turned to the Blue clansman beside her and whispered, "We were the last group to go…right?"

"Yeah, it pretty much should be only us left in this place…if nothing had happened to the other pairs."

Feeling the cold sweat against her skin, the girl sputtered out, "D-d-d-don't say it like something is going to happen! They should all be fine!"

As if the timing couldn't get any worse, the flashlight began to flicker off, and the two now stood in darkness, with only the moon faintly shining through the ripped parchment windows. Yata could feel her heart pounding harder and faster. Her nerves were on edge, ready for something to jump out.

"Misaki, relax," said the blue-haired man as he gently held the crow's hand. "We're almost done here."

Loosening up a bit, the chestnut-haired girl actually felt relieved to have her ex-best friend beside her for once. Mustering up some courage, Yata shouted out, "Alright, we got this! Come follow me, Saru!"

Opening the sliding door to the next room, the girl immediately saw a soft, glowing figure amidst the darkness. It appeared to be a miko—a shrine maiden, dressed in her red and white hakama. Her long, black hair was covering her face, and quiet moans were escaping her lips.

Trying her best not to panic, Misaki tried to reason it out within her mind. "Oh, it could just be someone who forgot something here, and wanted to get it before they demolished the place."

"Ummm, h-h-hi…W-w-w-what brings you h-h-here at this hour?" said the amber-eyed girl timidly.

Without speaking a word, the shrine maiden snapped her head in the two clansmen's direction, revealing her face in the process. The vanguard could only scream out in horror, when she saw the disfigured face covered in burn scars and dried blood. Her desiccated limbs shook wearily as they pointed straight at Yata's direction.

"KYAAAAAAAAAAAA!" The crow shrieked, while she began to run blindly down one of the corridors.

"Misaki! Where are you going!? That's not the way we're supposed to go!"

It was too late for Fushimi to try to stop the girl. She was already bolting across the wooden floors, straight toward the center of the building. The creaking of the boards became louder and louder…until the weakened floor gave way under her weight. Feeling the wood snap beneath her feet, the girl descended downward into some sort of pit.

Before she fell to her doom though, a large, strong hand gripped onto one of hers. "Misaki, are you alright!?" shouted the blue-eyed man.

"S-S-S-Saru, is that you!?"

"Of course it's me, you idiot. Give me your other hand, and I'll help you up out of there."

After being rescued from uncertain doom by the man that had once betrayed her trust, the girl could no longer hold back her tears. She was frightened beyond belief, feeling weak and helpless. "Sa-Saru..I'm scared! I'm really fucking scared right now!"

Suddenly, she felt a warm embrace, when the man wrapped his two arms around her petite body. "Shhh, Misaki. Please don't cry anymore. I'm here for you. Don't worry, I'll protect you."

Looking up at the taller man beside her, with teary eyes, Yata called out the Blue's name. "Saruhiko…"

Unable to hold back a second longer, the Scepter 4 officer leaned in closer to the amber-eyed girl, pressing his lips against hers. In all other situations, Misaki would have beaten the crap out of the monkey for even daring to touch her this way, but right now, the Blue's lips were warm and reassuring.

Breaking away finally to take in some deep breaths, the two gazed at each other, barely able to see the face of the opposite. Interrupting their romantic moment together, a bright-red aura filled the room, followed by a flash of light beside them. The two suddenly felt a boney hand grab one of their shoulders. Whipping their heads in that direction, they could see that miko from before—her decrepit face gazing at them with her lifeless eyes.

Incapable of suppressing any terror, the two instantly shrieked out at the top of their lungs. With several flashes of light, the duo heard a familiar laugh behind the shrine maiden.

"I see you guys are getting along quite well! I just had to snap a photo of that tender moment just now!"

"TOTSUKA-SAN! WHAT THE FUCK!? HAAAAA!?"

As the entire room filled with bright light of the Red clansmen's aura, the shrine maiden removed her mask and stood there with an evil grin. "C-C-Chitose!? You bastard! That was you all along!?"

"Awww, Yata, you were so cute! Next time, will you hold your body tightly against mine and kiss me too?" Yoh said with a wink.

Feeling her face flush, Misaki came to a realization of what had occurred. "You…fucking…bastards…set me up… TO SCARE ME ON PURPOSE?"

The little vanguard instantly released her fuchsia flames, putting Chitose into a headlock. "I'M GOING TO FUCKING MURDER YOU ALL! PREPARE TO BE SLAUGHTERED!"

Before the clansmen knew it, they were fleeing out of the burning building. Not soon after, they all stood outside of the shrine, watching its last wall become torched by the unforgiving fire.

While Misaki was still screaming and threatening her fellow clansmen, Fushimi stood away from the group with a scowl on his face. "Those idiots had to ruin a good moment. I'm going to kill them myself if Misaki doesn't," he muttered under his breath.

"Saru-kun! Did you have fun tonight? I'm glad that you came. You should definitely come join us more often!" Tatara said with a smile.

Clicking his tongue in annoyance, the Blue clansman gave the brunette a death stare. "You morons made this night a complete waste of time."

Turning to leave, Totsuka stopped Fushimi, when he held a photo in front of the blue-eyed man. "I'm glad I brought my polaroid camera with me tonight! Though it's a bit dark and fuzzy, I'll still give this one to you, Saru-kun! Take care, and I hope to see you soon!"

Peering down at the picture in front of him, Saruhiko's eyes widened in surprise. It was a picture of Misaki and himself staring into each other's eyes right after they kissed. Instead of a look of hatred and disgust, the crow gazed at the Scepter 4 officer with affection and gentleness.

Trying hard to suppress a smile from forming on his lips, the blue-haired man walked away from the Red clansmen, back towards his headquarters. Even if it were just for that moment, he still knew he was somewhere within the vanguard's heart. And that was all that mattered.


End file.
